Drink and Drugs News features an article this month on CPI's work on the South East Alcohol Innovation Programme.  The article exemplifies the programme as an example of how solutions to alcohol misuse sometimes lie beyond the tried and tested.

The South East Alcohol Innovation Programme funds those in the region who are right at the coal face of alcohol misuse.  People across the region were asked for their own ideas on how to reduce the rates of hospital admissions.  A panel assessed each idea individually using a set  of criteria.  The most innovative and promising ideas were awarded funding.

The Department of Health’s public health lead for alcohol in the South East, David Sheehan, says:
 
'A lot of the answers lie with operational and frontline staff but traditionally the system doesn’t liberate them. This programme is about funding and supporting ideas, packaging the learning and transferring it elsewhere.'

CPI's managing director, Mark Napier, who is leading the programme on the ground says:

'It’s about that extra level of performance. The driving ethos was “what’s the best idea?” If there were multiple good ideas from the same area we were quite happy to fund them – we were looking for bang for our buck, asking people “what are you going to do in terms of your client group?”

See the full article.